Lock for steering-posts



J. E. LYNCH AND-J. W. WOODWARD.

LOCK ron smame POSTS. APPLICATION FILED APR-28, I920.

Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

fizvermfioflfi UNITED r STATES .iERoME n. LYNCH, or NEWTON CENTER, ANDJames W. WOODWARD, or BROOKLINE,

PATENT OFFICE.

MASSACHUSETTS,

" LOOK FOR s'rnnaine-rosrs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 2'7, 1921..

' Application filed 'April 28, 1920. Serial No. 377,246.

To all whom 2'25 may concern Be it known that we, JEROME E. LYNCH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Newton Center, in the countyof Middlesex and'Sta-te of Massachusetts, and JAMES lVooDwAnD, a citizenof the United States, residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inLocks for Steering-Posts, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a lock for a steering post.

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap simple device forpreventing the steering wheel of a vehicle from being turned byunauthorized persons, and by so doing, make it impossible to steer saidvehicle, with the further object in view of preventing the theft of saidvehicle.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts setforth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in theclaims thereof.

Referring to the drawnigs:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of a steeringmechanism embodying our invention.-

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views ofthedrawings.

In the drawings 5 represents a steering wheel of a vehicle preferably anautomobile, the said steering wheel being securely fastened to asteering post 6 in order that said post may be rotated thereby. Thesteering post 6 is surrounded by a cylindrical casing 7 which issecurely fastened to a flanged fitting 8 which in turn is supported upona I dash board of the automobile, thereby making it impossible to rotatethe casing 7. At any suitable location upon the steering post 6 asquared portion 10 1s formed having a plurality of fiat surfaces a. Thecasing 7 adjacent to the squared portion 10 of the steering post 6 isenlarged at 11, and securely fastened thereto" is a suitable lock 12 ofany desirable construction and well known to those skilled in the art.The lock 12 is provided with a sliding bolt 13, the movement of which iscontrolled by a suitable key 14 illustrated in dotted lines Fig. 1,which may be inserted in the usual manner 'to move the bolt 13 in frontof one of the fiat surfaces a of the squared portion 10 as illustratedin Fig. 1, or to withdraw said bolt from said position and return thesame to a position within the lock. The flat sur faces a are preferablyso positioned that in order to move the bolt 13 into engagementtherewith to prevent the rotation of the steering post 6, it isnecessary to turn the steering wheel 5 slightly to, position the frontwheels at an angle to the rear wheels of the vehicle, thereby making itimpossible to drive the vehicle in a straight course when the steeringwheel is locked.

The general operation of the device is as follows: Nhen bringing thevehicle to a stop, the steering wheel 5 is turned slightly to positionone of the flat surfaces a of the squared portion 10 with the frontwheels at an angle. The key 14 is then inserted in the lock 12 andturned in the proper direction to move the bolt 13 in front of thesurface a, after which the key is removed, thereby making it impossibleto turn the steering post 6 by the steering wheel 5 attached thereto. Ifan attempt is made to operate the vehicle with the steering wheel thuslocked, it will be impossible to properly direct the course of saidvehicle, which will have a tendency to travel in a circle, therebyrendering an attempt at the theft thereof impractical.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire by LettersPatent 2. In combination, a steering post pro vided with an enlargedportion formedintegral therewith, a steering wheel attached to saidsteering post, a casing surrounding said steering post and a lockattached to said casing upon the interiorthereof and. provided with abolt adapted to be moved by a key into locking engagement with saidenlarged portion and thereby to prevent the rotation of said steeringpost.

3. In combination, a steering post provided With a plurality of flatsurfaces formed thereon, a steering Wheel attached to a said steeringpost, a casing surrounding said steering post, a lock attached to saidcasing upon the interior thereof and provided with a bolt, and a keyadapted to move said bolt into the path of said flat surface and therebyprevent the rotation of said steering post, said bolt also being adaptedto be moved by said key out of the path of said flat surfaces, wherebysaid steering post may again be rotated.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing 15 Witnesses.

JEROME E. LYNCH.

JAMES W. WOODWARD.

